Vestas Announces Half A Gigawatt Of U.S. Wind Orders

Vestas has received a firm and unconditional order from MidAmerican Energy Co., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, for 170 V110-2.0 MW turbines for the Wind XI project in Iowa. In addition, the Danish turbine manufacturer has announced another 200 MW order from an undisclosed customer in the U.S.

The 302 MW order from MidAmerican Energy includes previously purchased components qualifying for the production tax credit. The turbines will be manufactured at Vestas’ Colorado factories and will be delivered in the second quarter of 2018.

The order includes supply and commissioning of the wind turbines, as well as a five-year Active Output Management 5000 service agreement, Vestas’ full-scope service package.

When fully operational, the 2 GW Wind XI project will ensure MidAmerican Energy generates 85% of its retail energy load from wind, notes Vestas. The project consists of multiple sites that will be placed into service between 2017 and 2019. As part of a master agreement announced last year, Vestas will keep announcing more orders for the project.

“The historic Wind XI project will deliver clean, low-cost wind energy to MidAmerican Energy’s customers and communities while enhancing the reliability and resiliency of the grid,” says Chris Brown, president of Vestas’ sales and service division in the U.S. and Canada. “Hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefits, including landowner lease payments, tax payments and long-term secure jobs, will be generated to support the manufacturing, construction and operation of this project.”

In a separate order, Vestas will be supplying 100 V110-2.0 MW turbines for an undisclosed U.S. customer.

The order includes supply and commissioning of the wind turbines, as well as a multiyear Active Output Management 4000 service agreement. Delivery and commissioning of the wind turbines are expected to begin in the first and fourth quarters of 2018, respectively.

“Each turbine manufactured in this order will support 30 full-time jobs over its lifetime, all while delivering clean, low-cost energy and millions in economic benefits to the host community and all the communities touched by Vestas’ manufacturing supply chain, which spans all 50 states,” says Brown.